


Austin

by WannaBeBold



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21741595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WannaBeBold/pseuds/WannaBeBold
Summary: "P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you."A phone call from the presumed past changes everything.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	1. Austin

“She left without leaving her number, said she needed to clear her mind”

She told him she had to stay in Israel to clear her mind, pushing him away and making him leave on a plane back to D.C. There had been no contact with Tony or any of her surrogate family in Washington since her decision, believing it would be best to completely distance herself from them in order to find the peace she was searching for. Ziva spent seven months travelling around Europe and the Middle East before realizing that what she was looking for couldn’t be found here on her own, but was instead almost 10,000 miles and another country away.  
It took her almost a year before she got up the courage to call him. It was a Tuesday at 11:30 PM in Tel Aviv, 4:30 PM in D.C. when she picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. The phone rang three times before going to voicemail and she had to hold back tears as she heard his recorded voice.  
“If you’re calling about the car I sold it. If this is Tuesday night I’m bowling. If you’ve got something to sell, you’re wasting your time, I’m not buying. If it’s anybody else, wait for the tone, you know what to do. P.S. if this is Ziva, I still love you.”  
By the end of the message, her hand went limp and her cell phone fell on the kitchen counter. She couldn’t believe he would hang onto her for that long when she had been absent and all but told him to go away and leave her alone. She knew, without a doubt, then that his love for her was unlike anything she had ever known. Although she didn’t know what she would say to him, she picked up the phone again three days later. Ziva selected the last number from her recent calls and dialed. Again, she heard three rings before his recorded voice came over the phone.  
“If it’s Friday night at I’m at the ballgame and first thing Saturday, if it don’t rain, I’m heading out to the lake and I’ll be gone, all weekend long. I’ll call you back when I get home on Sunday afternoon. P.S. if this is Ziva, I still love you.”  
She decided to leave her number this time and waited patiently, counting down the time until Sunday afternoon in D.C. It was nearing midnight on Sunday in Israel and she was getting nervous, checking her phone constantly waiting for his number to come across her screen. Just when she was about to give up and go to bed, her phone rang, making her jump. Suddenly nervous, she waited a moment before sliding her hand over the screen.   
In Washington, Tony DiNozzo stumbled in the door, exhausted from a long case that cut into his evening bowling with Abby and the nuns on Tuesday until Friday evening which left him with just enough time to meet his frat brothers at the ballpark. Saturday morning came bright and early and the sunshine blaring through his windows made his mind up to go a weekend movie festival at the lake. It was now after 4:00 PM Sunday and he was more than ready to take a shower, call for delivery, and crash into bed to prepare for the work week because Gibbs wouldn’t take it easy on them just because they had a long week last week. After cleaning up and eating, it was almost 5:00 when he finally thought to check his phone. He had texts from Abby and McGee, as well as some of his frat brothers but what really stuck out was the voicemail icon showing he had two voicemails over the last week. Curious because the only calls he remembered receiving were from Gibbs or the team, he hit the icon to receive his messages. The first one lasted only three seconds and the only sound was a clatter before it clicked off. Curious, he listened to the next one which happened to be from the same number. When the message was played he gasped, even though it only included a phone number, he would know that voice anywhere. He quickly replayed the message and wrote down the number before hitting the screen to redial her number. The phone rang several times before he realized it was almost midnight in Tel Aviv. Finally he heard her voice come over the phone but his mood was deflated when he realized it was just her recorded voice.   
“If you’re calling about my heart it’s still yours, I should have listened to it a little more. Then it wouldn’t have taken me so long to know where I belong. And by the way boy, this is no machine you’re talking to. Can’t you tell, that this is Ziva? And I still love you.”  
Tony gasped when she got to the end and could barely hold back tears of relief. “Ziva?”  
She stifled a sob when she heard his voice talking directly to her for the first time in eight months. “Hi Tony.”   
Their names coming from the others’ lips was a breath of fresh air for each of them and in that moment, nothing else mattered in the world. They stayed on the phone for hours, crying, laughing, and catching up with each other’s lives. With a promise to talk again soon, both fell asleep with weights lifted off their chests, happier than they had been since parting in Israel.


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ziva decides she's had enough of being on her own and comes back to the place she belongs.

“I’m just too far, from where you are, I wanna come home.”

It had been one month since Tony and Ziva re-established contact and since then they had exchanged texts multiple times a day and phone calls at least twice a week. Because they weren’t telling the others they were in contact and she didn’t want to interrupt him during a case, Tony was always the first to initiate phone calls which usually happened after he got home from work. Texts, on the other hand, were usually started by her in the morning then Tony would respond after waking and they would send messages back and forth throughout the day. Discussing everything from their current lives to their time together at NCIS, their communication made both parties realize just how much they missed one another. It was also during these conversations that Ziva began to realize how much she missed being in D.C. with her family and, more importantly, with Tony.   
That realization led her to her current situation, curled up on her sofa with a cup of hot tea and a blanket at midnight waiting for her phone to ring. The conversation that was happening tonight was a long time coming and should have happened months ago but she knew she was ready now. Looking at the clock, Ziva realized it was almost 30 minutes past time Tony should have called and she had not received a text from him saying he was going to be late which he always did were that to be the case. Beginning to think this was a sign the conversation she had planned should not happen, she started to gather her things for bed when her phone rang.   
“Hello Tony. Nice of you to finally call.” She answered in a clipped voice, annoyed.  
“Ziva, I’m so sorry I’m calling so late. Gibbs kept us late and my phone died before I realized what time it was and I didn’t have my charger so I had to wait until I got home to call. I’m so sorry, please don’t hate me.” Tony’s voice made it obvious he was telling the truth and it made her feel guilty for being mad at him.   
“I could never hate you Tony. I am sorry, I just – I got nervous when I had not heard from you and I thought that, that maybe it was a sign.” Ziva’s words and her concerned tone confused him.  
“A sign? A sign for what Zi?”   
“That this conversation should not happen.” Now he was even more confused.   
“What conversation Ziva? What are you talking about?” Her silence was loud and clear over the phone and it made him wonder if maybe she regretted reconnecting with him. “Ziva, please don’t tell me you regret our calls. I thought things were going well and…” His words brought Ziva back to reality and she rushed to reassure him.  
“Tony no. Gosh no. I do not regret it at all and I apologize that my words made you think that I did.” He released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding before she continued. “I have been doing a lot of thinking lately.” Ziva paused, contemplating her next words.   
“And?” Tony prompted, reassured that she wanted to stay in contact but still nervous at what she was thinking.  
“I. I want to come home Tony.”   
“Do- does that mean what I think it means Zi?” He had to ask, not wanting to get his hopes up.  
“I want to come back to D.C.”  
“Are you sure Ziva? I mean, I don’t want you to do something you’re gonna regret later just because…”  
“Tony!” She cut in, cutting off the beginning of his rambling before starting again softer. “Tony. I want to come back to you. I have spent all of this time travelling around Europe and the Middle East searching for peace and a sense of belonging when all along…” He heard the catch in her voice as she tried but failed to hold back tears, “When all along it was with you. My home is wherever you are at and I feel like an idiot for not realizing that earlier.”  
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I wish I had never left you in Israel.” Ziva cut in, not wanting him to take the blame for her actions.   
“I pushed you away Tony. I made you leave because I thought I had to do this myself but I know now that I was wrong.” Ziva paused and it was quiet on the other end so she decided to speak her thoughts. “I had written you letters you know. I needed to let you know that I was okay and to let you know what I was doing but I could not get myself to send them. You had a job and friends and I could not risk you coming to find me again because I know that chasing me around another continent was not your dream.”  
“Ziva, YOU are my dream.” He stressed, needing her to understand. “I would have followed you anywhere because I…”  
“Please do not say what I think you are going to say Tony.” Ziva begged him.  
“Why not Ziva? I think I’ve waited long enough…”  
“Because I will be there in less than 24 hours and I would like it to be in person when I hear you say it for the first time.” Tony’s breath caught, almost not believing her words.  
“You’ll what?” Ziva smiled. It wasn’t often Tony DiNozzo was speechless but it was happening more and more lately.   
“I booked a flight from Israel to D.C. last week for tomorrow. One way.” A lightbulb came on in Tony’s head.  
“So that’s why you were so nervous earlier.”  
“It is, yes. I thought that when you had not called and I had not heard from you that it was a sign I should just stay here. But when I talked to you and you explained why you had not called I knew that everything was okay and that it was time for me to come home.”  
“Well, I really like the sound of that.”

It was just after 11:00 pm and Tony was pacing through the Baltimore–Washington International Airport. Ziva’s flight was scheduled to land 5 minutes ago and he was just waiting for her to pick up her luggage before meeting him at their pre-determined location. He thought back to almost 15 hours ago when he received a text from Ziva saying “Count to a million, I’m on my way.” That made it hard to fall asleep. He was lucky it was a Saturday that team Gibbs wasn’t on call so he wouldn’t spill his good news to the others. It also allowed him the freedom to be here to pick her up at the airport. He checked his watch for the millionth time and realized she should have been here by now. That’s when he turned around and saw her. Her hair was shorter, just barely touching her shoulders, and curlier than the last time. She had a carefree look on her face that he couldn’t remember ever seeing before and broke out into a grin.   
It took longer than usual to get off the plane and gather her belongings. She checked her watch and realized that she should have been meeting with Tony 15 minutes ago. Ensuring she had everything, she began walking towards their meeting spot. She saw him standing there, facing the other direction and was frozen. She was about to see Tony DiNozzo for the first time in almost a year and, although they had been in touch the last month of their time separated, she couldn’t help but be nervous now. Gathering her courage, she started walking closer when he turned around. The smile that broke out across his face made her pace quicken and before she knew it she was wrapped up in his arms. Both were teary-eyed when they pulled back as Tony’s hands came to cradle her face and Ziva’s arms stayed wrapped around his torso.   
“I missed you so much.” Ziva whispered as Tony wiped away the tears that were falling with his thumbs.  
“I – I love you Ziva. So much.” Tony pulled her face closer to his but Ziva stopped him before he could kiss her.   
“I love you too Tony.” This time, she didn’t stop him when he crashed his lips to hers. They were too wrapped up in each other to notice they had gathered a crowd and both looked embarrassed when they broke apart to cheering but they couldn’t help the smiles that broke out.   
Tony pressed his forehead to hers whispering “Let’s go home.” The reunited couple separated but kept their hands clasped together. After another moment, Tony grabbed her luggage in his free hand while she shouldered her purse and they exited the airport together, happier than they had ever been.   
“Best 180 of my life.”


End file.
